The scent of concord grape soda fills the air as purple Texas mountain laurel trees are in full blossom. Bare twisted live oaks with thousands of tiny twigs are starting to sprout little brilliant green buds. Following a brisk wind, the air is fresh as I deeply fill my lungs to enjoy the arrival of spring and the sound of songbirds. I keep filling up the bird feeders to support my local bird choir (and a few dozen random squirrels). A small aircraft flies overhead — the view of the blossoms from the air must be a beautiful sight.

Any pilot will tell you that when flying a small airplane, if you get into a spiral dive, you don’t even really know it. You can’t feel it, and can only tell from your instruments. If you try to control the airplane at that point, you won’t be able to, and holding on to the controls only makes things worse. A Death Dive

When I was a child, my dad went into such a dive, and in spite of all his training, he wanted to control the aircraft. But in the back of his mind he remembered something he had read in a classic book called Stick and Rudder that said when this happens, simply let go.

Imagine spinning out of control, in a steep dive, only a few seconds to make decisions before you slam into the ground, and having to give up control. But let go he did, and the plane corrected itself just seconds before he would have crashed. Once the plane was corrected, his altitude was less than 200 feet. His life was saved by doing the opposite of instinct and letting go. And I’m thankful he did, because I had my dad my entire life until last year.

No Control

Last week while we were in church, our pastor said something that reminded me of my dad’s death dive. He was talking about things we cannot control, saying that sometimes we simply have to trust God to resolve things. He talked about how hard it is to let go, but that sometimes our attempts at control only worsen the problem.

Control Freak

Being a control freak, which is a natural direction when you build and own a business, letting go is the hardest thing to do. Yet people cannot grow when you “mansplain” every answer. The same is true with kids. If they don’t suffer a little, if they don’t have to figure things out, if you rescue them at every turn, they leave the house unprepared. 

What are you trying to control that isn’t working?

Those of us who think we’re in control need to understand that we are not, not really. We simply cannot solve every problem. And sometimes the best solution to a problem is to let go and let it work itself out. Like letting go of the controls in a plane, this is counterintuitive, but it often provides the best possible result.

No one likes to be controlled. Especially me.

Mr. Big Shot

When I was 25, I bought my first radio station. The day we closed on the station and I took over, I walked into the big beautiful manager’s office and thought, “What have I got myself into?” I had no idea what to do or even how to behave. So I did what I had seen from some of my mentors and what I had seen from “typical bosses” on TV. I became a control freak. I started barking orders, being demanding, and trying to show who was boss. I even fired a couple of people on the spot for insubordination, humiliating them in front of others. I did not listen — I knew all the answers.

A Sad Day

One day we faced a tragedy, when a fellow employee died suddenly. It hit me and everyone hard, but because one of the managers had been engaged to this employee, and another manager had been overly demanding the day this person died, there was a lot of anger and guilt. Within 12 hours of this person’s passing, those two managers resigned and got all of their people to resign. Suddenly I had only two employees left. In hindsight, I realized I got no loyalty because I tried to control everything. It wasn’t working.

Screamers

I’m lucky to have learned that lesson early. I had to learn the proper way to manage people, which is to pull and inspire, not to push and fire. There are legends about people like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, who are said to be screamers. I think people will put up with more when working for a brilliant visionary. The rest of us mere mortals need to manage by inspiration, and I had to learn how to stop controlling every little thing and let go.

Perfection Is the Enemy

There is a saying I learned when running my tech company, RadioCentral, in Silicon Valley. “Perfection is the enemy of greatness.” In other words, deliver — and don’t wait till something is perfect to deliver it. You can always make adjustments and changes after you launch. My mentor Keith Cunningham disputes the idea that “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” He insists that it should be “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly” because we won’t do things if we’re waiting for perfection. We have to learn to do things, and we’re going to make mistakes along the way, which is OK. What he is talking about is letting go.

In what ways is control getting in the way of your success in your family or work?

What’s the worst that would happen if you let go?

In what ways is controlling hurting yourself, and your relationships?

How would you feel if you could just let go and wait to see what happens?

It took a lot of mistakes for me to discover this. It’s why I’m calm, why I tend not to stress or worry much, and why I believe everything will work out. Maybe it will work out now, maybe later, maybe years from now, or maybe I have to wait for eternity for correction. But things are out of my hands and in God’s hands. Knowing that gives me peace and reduces my need to control everything.

Like anyone, I play “what if” games in my head. What if this fails, what if this doesn’t work out, what if the kids don’t turn out OK?

Let go. 

Eric Rhoads

PS: I have to admit I had a few tense moments after receiving a call from the people who run our convention hotel for the Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe. “I’m sorry, but we can’t let you have more than 750 people. We’ll be required to spread out the seats in the auditorium.” 

After two years of cancellations and no income from my most important income source, I was hoping to get something coming in again. Prior to COVID we had 1,200 people attending. And though they may change their minds at the last minute, for now, I’m only allowed 750 people. So I have only about 97 seats left. 

If you are planning to come to this festival-like celebration of plein air painting, the world’s largest paint-out, and four stages of lessons over four days from the top landscape artists in the world, I’d recommend you book one of those 97 seats this week. May is coming up fast.

I know you’re eager to be back with people again. I know I am. I hope to see you there. 

Wanna come and paint?

Spring and fall are my busiest times of year. Soon after the Plein Air Convention I’ll head to the Adirondacks for the summer, and I’ll hold my Publisher’s Invitational artist retreat for a week up there. It’s a week of just painting, and one price includes your room, meals, and the event. It’s a blast, and all levels of painters from beginners to pros paint together. We play a lot, have music, paint portraits at night (optional), and it’s summer camp for painters of all ages. I’ve become very close to lots of people who attend. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

Let’s go paint in New Zealand

Clearly my Russia painting trip had to be canceled, so we replaced it with a 50-person trip to New Zealand. It’s a premium trip, and it will be amazing. And we hit NZ in springtime, when it’s green and flowering. Of the 50, I have 30 seats left. Come join us.

Here’s what’s happening at my company Streamline at the moment…

We’ve just launched our 12th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition. Head over to PleinAirSalon.com to see how you can win $15,000 for your art. 

We are going to New Zealand again! Our last trip in 2017 was a huge success so we’re doing it again. Join me and 45 other artists in painting some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. PaintingNewZealand.com

Our 9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo is quickly approaching. We’ve only got 97 seats left so sign up now to gather with your fellow artists in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico for our first in-person event in two years! Study with the plein air masters, get discounts on art supplies in the Expo Hall and paint with over 500 of your fellow plein air enthusiasts. Sign up now at PleinAirConvention.com. 

Our next virtual event, Pastel Live, is happening in August. About 40% of the people who attended PleinAir Live have already signed up. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun! Check it out at PastelLive.com. 

Little tiny buds are peeking out of the flowerbeds and grass. Brilliant green is starting to come out of the otherwise dead-looking trees, and the warmth of the sun and longer days are strong indicators that spring has arrived. Bluebonnets are covering local roadsides, and soon, maybe today, I’ll be out painting them.

Like spring, I love the reckless unbridled passion of youth and its boundless hope as we bud and blossom into adulthood to take us to our careers and our purposes. 

As a young budding entrepreneur in my 20s, I was filled with passion, hope, and giant dreams. But I was also smart enough to know I did not know it all (though there were times when I thought I did). So, to grow my skills, I went to a seminar and saw the legendary insurance billionaire W. Clement Stone (1902-2002) . At the time Stone was probably 70 and filled with incredible wisdom and energy. He was the first motivational speaker I ever saw.

Desperate and in Debt

I remember Stone talking about his plight growing up, his circumstances of being extremely poor. His dad died when he was really young, leaving the family with a lot of debt, so to supplement his mom’s dressmaker income, he started selling newspapers on the corner. But money was tight, and there was never enough. Mr. Stone talked about how he was trying to figure out how to make more money selling papers to survive, and how he had the idea to enlist his friends and get them selling papers for him on commission. At age 8 or 10, he was supporting his family and bringing in more income than his mother.

Before long he started selling insurance, and just about 20 years later, using the same principle of getting others to help him multiply his income, he managed to get a thousand people to sell for him. That gave him enough money to start his own insurance company, which had a billion dollars in assets by 1979.

Leverage Is Critical

Stone told us that he learned about leverage because of necessity. Even though everyone had told him he could not survive and could not support his mom and family at such a young age, he worked smart instead of just working hard. 

I remember him saying that no matter how hard he worked by himself, his income was limited because there were only so many hours in the day and only so many newspapers he could personally sell. And it wasn’t enough to solve his problem. His needs were high, so he had to figure out how to get more money while working the same number of hours. Again, he was a kid of 8 or 10, enlisting other kids to sell papers for him.

A Rare Billionaire

Stone became a billionaire (unheard of at the time) by setting high goals and figuring out how to overcome the time it would normally take to hit those goals. His lessons in youth set the tone for how he did business in his 100 years of life.

Most of us who set goals, myself included, set a goal for five years out, and figure out how to ramp up over the years to hit that goal. Stone said his success was based on compressing five years into one year. 

“Everyone will tell you it’s impossible to hit a five-year goal in one year, and to them, it’s not possible. But you can do it now if you simply figure out how to leverage others to hit it faster.”

Standing on stage in front of a giant auditorium of people, he had us chanting: “DO IT NOW!”

What are your dreams? 

What are your goals?

Is there a way you can achieve those dreams this year?

Are you telling yourself it’s impossible? 

I don’t claim to be as mentally strong as Stone, and I’m certainly not a billionaire, but his philosophy has helped me throughout my career. “What can we get done this year instead of waiting a few years?” I’ve been known to say. And I’m often accused of pushing too hard to get things done early. Now you understand why.

A Series of Questions

When I catch myself saying, “There is no way I could do that this year,” I try to stop myself and ask, “How is it possible to do it anyway? If I had unlimited resources, could I do it?”

Stone taught me that “unlimited resources” is the right way to think about crushing a goal in less time. Start there, then ask yourself how you can get those resources now. Then, if it’s super expensive, ask yourself how you could get those same resources with less money, or no money.

“Most people stop asking themselves questions too soon. They simply stop with the fact that it’s impossible. But keep asking more questions, and more on top of those, and even more until you figure out a way. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Drill down till you find answers.”

My mentor Keith Cunningham likes to say that all the answers are in the questions, and that if we all spent more time thinking, we would save a lot of time with answers that often speed up our progress.

What about you?

A Major Goal Accomplished

A couple of years ago I declared that I wanted to teach a million people to paint. “But how do I reach a million people?” I asked myself. My answer was to buy advertising. But then I told myself I could not afford it. So, once I came to that conclusion, I asked how I could do it for free or with a low investment. The answer that came was a daily Facebook/YouTube live broadcast, which during COVID reached far more than a million people. (In fact, I was in Mexico last week when I was stopped on the street by a local man who watches me on the Internet.)

If you pose the questions, the answers will come. If they don’t come, ask more questions. Eventually the impossible becomes possible. 

Belief Trumps Doubt

1. Clement Stone told a room of a few hundred people that some of us would go home and do it now, and the rest of us would never believe it’s possible and may never realize our dreams.

But those who do will live rich lives with a lot of satisfaction, having lived their dreams.

His advice: Do It now. Find a way.

Eric Rhoads

PS: The pandemic kicked us all in the gut. In my case, my business was on life support, my live events were canceled multiple times, and I’ve been anxious to bring them back. Thankfully, the Plein Air Convention WILL happen this May in Santa Fe. That is great news because we can get the gang back together. The bad news is, I’m being restricted. I can only have 750 people because they still want us to socially distance. So, by the time we add up the people who are registered, the faculty and staff, as of today, I have exactly 97 seats left. 

If you’ve always wanted to go or are planning to go, I highly recommend you grab your seat and hotel room now. 

Here’s what’s happening at my company Streamline at the moment…

Our next virtual event, Pastel Live, is happening in August. About 40% of the people who attended PleinAir Live have already signed up. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun!

Peacefully, I sit staring out at the gnarly oaks, twisting and moving in all directions. In the distance, a barely visible gray mountain and a dull white sky. Soon sprinkles begin, and the mountain disappears as the clouds move toward this old porch overlooking the vast Texas land. Suddenly, I’m disrupted by barking dogs, tearing off my red wicker couch to chase a rogue squirrel who dares to dart into their territory. Sniffing and barking, they look aimlessly around, not understanding the squirrel went up a tree. It’s entertaining the first time it happens, but by the fifth time, it’s a little disruptive.

The Camera Lens

Years ago, when I was in my early 20s, I supplemented my radio DJ income as a wedding photographer. I had studied under Rocky Gunn (1940-1983), who was considered one of the best. He taught me a ton of techniques to make spectacular and interesting photos, one of which was the use of filters. For instance, I had a filter that made the photos look dreamy, another that colored the entire photo in a color like red or blue, another that made the sky darker. Anyone who knows photography knows filters.

But most of us don’t know about the filters that color our lives. We each have a set or two, and as in photography, if we were to use the same filters in every shot, our photos would have no variety and everything would be the same.

Recently when I spoke of disruption, I mentioned that rarely can someone “inside” come up with disruptive ideas because they are too close to things. That closeness is a filter.

Reinventing Radio

In 1999, when I started RadioCentral, one of the very first Internet radio companies, I had success raising money from people outside the radio industry (and raised millions). But those inside the industry, who had the most to gain, were reluctant to participate. They could not see (or admit) that they would be disrupted by music online. Their lens was colored with the idea that radio has to be delivered through a transmitter, and they thought consumers would never get their music through their phones — people wouldn’t want a small speaker, they couldn’t easily listen in their cars, and the cost of data for music streams would be too much. Costly it was, at the time, but soon – like so many things — it no longer was. Though I was unable to keep my company going after the 9/11 recession, other disruptors came along, following in my footsteps and doing it better. Those disruptors could see things even I could not see, and as a result companies like Spotify approached things with a very smart membership model. I was too close to it and did not believe people would pay for their music. I was wrong because of my filter.

Golden Light

Our filters create a bias. For instance, ever since I became an artist, I see everything through the eyes of an artist. One day, at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, I had gone to dinner with two or three friends who owned radio stations. We were walking down the street in Boston right as the golden afternoon light was washing the red brick buildings. I saw the light, saw its beauty, and thought about how I would paint it. When I pointed it out to them, they glanced and moved on, thinking I was just weird. One of the biases I fight is that I tend to make decisions in my business based on what artists need, which helps me relate and give people what they want, but it can also keep me from seeing where things are going and how things should be done.

Roadblocks

In my art marketing classes, which I hold annually at our Plein Air Convention, I’m teaching a room of a thousand or more artists, and I try to get them to embrace new ideas about selling art. Usually about 10 percent in the room embrace them, and the others cling to “that’s not the way things are done.” The bias is like handcuffs, preventing them from moving forward. That same bias has gotten in my way many times, even though I’m aware of it.

Angry and Negative

We also have emotional filters. Tony Robbins is the first I’ve ever heard point this out, in his new book, Life Force. Some of us have angry filters; we’re just angry at the world. Others have skeptical filters and are skeptical about everything, and others have loving filters, believing that everyone is loving and therefore treating everyone with acceptance.

Emotional filters can serve us well. There are times when being a skeptic is a good thing, times when accepting everyone is a good thing. But when these filters are applied all the time, it can hurt us. Ever know a Negative Nelly, someone who looks at the world and finds something negative to say about everything?

This Is Who You Should Hate

We also have filters based on our beliefs. At the moment, the filter is that Russians are bad and Ukrainians are good. Those filters are being reinforced by the images and video we’re seeing. And in America, we’ve always been told Russia is the enemy and is bad. When I started visiting there to paint, I changed my perception because of some of the amazingly sweet people I’ve met. I did not meet anyone who fit the narrative we’ve seen in the movies. My filter now tells me that some Russians, or Russian leaders, or Russian oligarchs, or the Russian Mafia, are bad, but the people I know in that country are just as upset as we are.

Finding Common Ground

Tony Robbins was teaching when the Twin Towers were hit on 9/11, and there were people in the room who worked in the towers, people who later found they had lost family, and a few people from other countries who were ambivalent about the action or even called it “justice.” The conflict was polarizing. And because they were all stuck there anyway, he helped them see how their filters were preventing them from seeing the viewpoints of others. Once they opened up and saw other perspectives, they understood one another and came to peace.

The One and Only Way

Religions — or the lack of belief — are also filters that color our biases and perceptions. The media has often portrayed Christians as nerds and bigots, yet I’ve found the opposite to be true. In America some have portrayed Muslims as different or maybe dangerous, yet through my daily broadcasts with international artists, I’ve made friends in Egypt and other countries only to find them to be sweet people. We are brought together by our commonalities, and though we might not see eye-to-eye on who our God is, or what happens to us when we die, sometimes our filters prevent us from being willing to listen to one another and see others’ point of view.

Blue Vs. White

Filters run deep because of our upbringing. Think of the differences in the ways you might perceive the world if you grew up as a blue collar worker in a union town, versus growing up middle class with parents who worked as executives. I’ve had people tell me that all corporations are evil, and that “the man” is out to get them, to squash them down. I’ve also had people tell me blue collar workers are lazy and deserve their low income because they are not willing to step up and do anything extra to get ahead, they just want to put in their eight hours and go to the bar. Neither is accurate, but our filters influence our thinking.

Stupid People

Our world is polarized because of our political filters, and the media we follow tends to distort things, finding and highlighting the worst examples. Too often we look at the other side with pity, or we mock them for their stupidity in believing what they believe. But what if we gathered information on our own, did not believe everything we’re told, and were willing to listen to our friends on the other side? We’re all too quick to judge. Families are divided because one cannot tolerate anyone with a different opinion. How sad is that?

I’m not suggesting you change all your filters. Our filters make up who we are.

But what if a filter is preventing you from doing something that will make life better?

What if it’s preventing you from seeing something that would strengthen your business, your job, or your artwork or hobby?

Awareness is the first step to not allowing our filters to control us.

Finish this sentence:

I see myself as…

What is the first thing that comes to mind? What comes next? What’s after that?

Now ask yourself: How is this helping me? And how is it hurting me or my relationships with others?

Fresh Eyes

Since I started painting years ago, I see myself as an artist, a painter, an oil painter. I was reluctant to try other things because I still have not mastered oil painting. Yet when I created my virtual art conferences and they were teaching watercolor in one and pastel in another, it opened my eyes, taught me new things that helped me take up these other mediums. Though I was uncomfortable at first, I now happily embrace these mediums and techniques, and they have given me new freedom, new ideas, and made me feel more balanced.

You can tell from the paragraph above that my lens is that of an artist, yet tens of thousands of people reading this have never picked up a paintbrush, and their filters may be telling them they have no ability or talent (something I can prove wrong), or just that they have no interest.

If I were into antique cars, my filter would lead me to sharing different examples.

How are your filters serving you?

How are they hurting you?

Where are they getting in your way?

Where are they hurting relationships?

Where are they preventing you from seeing opportunity or disruption?

How do others perceive you, and are they right?

Filters prevent us from being situational. If my filter is anger or negativity, I’m always looking for problems, or always wondering why everyone does not see my viewpoint. And that could be hampering my relationships and opportunities.

The Wedding I Screwed Up

I once shot a wedding where my film was bad in many of the shots, and the only things left that came out nice were the filtered shots, which the client hated. I was not paid, and endured (rightly so) an angry lecture. Not everyone likes the filters you like.

Over the years, some filters remain while new filters are added. My interests in photography, technology, marketing, radio and TV broadcasting, podcasting, etc., have made me more well rounded, yet during those periods in my life, I saw everything through that lens, and it discolored opportunity.

Your filters are who you are, but they don’t have to be.

Eric Rhoads

PS: Last week I mentioned the need for spontaneity, so Laurie and I got on a plane (the first in a long, long time) and headed to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. It made me realize how much I’ve missed travel and exposure to new things. Today, we return home, with our brains having been exposed to new things, new perspectives, and added filters.

My next big adventure will be our annual Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe. We get beginners, people who’ve never painted, as well as experienced pros. We learn from top people on four stages teaching oil painting, watercolor, pastel, acrylic, and other things. We go paint together (which is loads of fun). If you’ve never done anything like that, and if you are in a high-stress job, or you are just looking for more in your life to add filters to your bag, take the risk and join us. You’ll easily meet others, make friends, and gain a new perspective on life. Don’t tell yourself you can’t do it (a filter getting in the way) but that you should try it and find out.

Here’s what’s happening at my company Streamline at the moment…

Our next virtual event, Pastel Live, is happening in August. About 40% of the people who attended PleinAir Live have already signed up. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun!

Brilliant lime green blades of grass are popping up among the old dry winter grasses here at my Austin, Texas, property. Little buds are starting to force their way through the dirt, and if we’re lucky, some colorful spring flowers will soon decorate our flower beds. Warm bright sunshine is providing nourishment to my light-starved soul, which is ready for winter and frigid temperatures to take a vacation for about eight months.

An Exhausting but Fun Week

If you see a typo or two this morning, forgive me. I’m dragging. Exhausted from hosting four days of 8-plus-hour days on a live stream for our PleinAir Live event, which had a massive audience of landscape artists. We had over 30 top instructors doing demonstrations, and people tuning in from all corners of the earth. If you were a part of that group, I deeply appreciate your participation. I’m totally ready for a vacation. Maybe I’ll be spontaneous and take one.

You Wanna Go Where?

Decades ago, when my wife worked for an airline, spontaneity guided a hectic travel schedule. Though I was busily starting my business and working 17-hour days, seven days a week, if my wife got a weekend off or a long weekend, we would take an unplanned trip. On Thursday afternoon or Friday we would drive to the airport, look at the monitor overhead, pick an interesting flight to someplace we had never been, and if there was space, we would board the aircraft and fly for free. We could even upgrade to First Class for an extra $50 at the time, and if it was an overseas flight, we could upgrade for $150. (We rarely did that because we had so little money.) We would then arrive and visit a hotel that had discounts for airline employees. We always managed to find a room. When I’ve told friends about this, they’ve often reacted with a gasp. “I could never do that! I plan my travel months in advance.” 

When I was a kid, we rarely took a family vacation because of my dad’s busy work schedule. But one Saturday morning Dad woke us all early and said, “Pack a bag — we’re going to be gone for a week. We’re leaving in one hour.” He did not tell us where we were going.

A Lifetime Memory

We got in the old blue 1964 Oldsmobile and drove east, but he refused to tell us where we were going. My brothers and I kept guessing as we would see road signs, but we were always wrong. After about two days of driving, we saw a sign for New York City, and we drove into Manhattan, pulled up at a swanky hotel, and Dad said, “We’re home.” We then went to the 1965 World’s Fair, which was very cool.

Wanna Move?

I suppose my spontaneity gene came from my dad and our frequent last-minute adventures. Laurie and I had someone come to the door wanting to buy our house, and three weeks later we were living in a different city because we thought it would be fun. We’ve told ourselves we wanted to move about every decade. We get to know a city, make friends, then go elsewhere and do it again. Though we may be missing out on the security of a lifetime in one place, we’ve been invigorated by change.

What about you?

What invigorates you?

In what ways are you spontaneous?

Nuts for Ruts

We all have our routines that become ruts. We tend to repeat the same routines daily — we go to the same restaurants, we hang with the same people, we go to the same church. Sometimes we’ll go weeks in a rut, and I’ll just want to scream, “Get me outta here!” Then I’ll look for something I’ve never done before, just to break the ruts. 

Boredom Drives Me

People sometimes ask how I’ve built so many businesses, and the answer is simple. I get bored and have to find new things to occupy my time. I still love them, I never let go of them or sell them, but if I don’t have a new project every couple of years, it drives me insane. And my team will tell you I drive them nuts because I’ll drop in a few spontaneous projects a year. Sometimes they are a waste of time and a distraction, and sometimes they are a success. But in every case, I’ve broken my boredom and I’ve learned something.

In the last two years we’ve seen more change than ever. “Life is short, then you die” has been a little too close to home. 

What have you never done because you lacked the courage?

What do you have to lose?
How will you feel when you look back from your deathbed, not having completed that dream?

What are you waiting for?

You are capable of almost anything. You don’t even have to know how to do it, you simply have to commit to it and start. The answers will be revealed to you as you seek them. 

I want to encourage you to be spontaneous, to have some fun, to get out of your rut, and to revisit your dreams, and then launch them. You can do this — no special skills, no special gifts.
If we were all a little like Elon Musk, who comes up with ideas and then drives them to the moon, we would have a richer, more meaningful life.

Oh, and it’s not about money (though it can be). What drives people like Musk is the challenge of proving to himself and naysayers that the impossible is possible. That has always driven me.

I can look back on billion-dollar ideas I had that I never acted on, only to see someone else do it five years later. I’m done doing that. I’m going to go for it.

Are You READY to Be Spontaneous?

Spontaneity requires an idea, then a bold move to go forward. Do one thing today that is completely fresh, new, and spontaneous. You’ll get addicted. Trust me.

Eric Rhoads

PS: Years ago I had this spontaneous idea to create a giant dinner party with a few hundred artists. I dreamed we would all sit around a huge table, eat together, paint together, and the best would teach the rest of us. When I awoke from that dream, I pulled the trigger immediately and started working on my dream for the Plein Air Convention, a five-day event of painting, training, and lots of fun and friends. Naysayers were critical and shot the idea down. People told me no one would ever come, yet this May we’ll be sold out, and probably have 1,200 people, our biggest yet. 

Some people have told me, “I’m not good enough to come,”  or,  “I don’t know anyone,” or, “I’m not good at plein air painting,” or “I’m not sure I’ll fit in.” Stop the excuses and be spontaneous. You’ll never regret it.  

I’ll be wearing green this week on Thursday. I think I’ll go paint something green. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Here’s what’s happening at my company Streamline at the moment…

Our next virtual event, Pastel Live, is happening in August. About 40% of the people who attended PleinAir Live have already signed up. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun!

Bright light burns into my retinas as I step on to the back porch in my bare feet. The sky is intense, shining brightly after days of gray soup, sleet, and ice. Goosebumps pop up along with the hairs on my bare arm as I leave the warm air inside to be assaulted by the cold outdoors. Yet hope for a warmer day and early signs of spring are on today’s agenda.

I Met a Girl

As a young teen, probably 14, I saw a girl at a party, and she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I watched and stared until I got up the courage to ask her to dance, and we danced to “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Slow dancing, with a beautiful girl, was something that had never happened to me. The feeling was incredible. 

Soon my mom was dropping me off at her house — supervised, of course. I remember one day, after a harsh winter, at the first sign of spring, probably 50 degrees, we walked to a local park and laid out on a blanket looking up at the sky, celebrating the return of warmer air and sunshine. The park was filled that day with others doing the same, as if it were summer. All celebrating spring in unison.

Old Flames Die Out

My time with that girl ended at some point, I’m not sure why, but to this day I hold that first innocent exposure to boy-meets-girl dear in my heart. Like many of our old flames, I sometimes saw her on Facebook. We were both in a local “Up with People” group back then, where we developed a lot of friendships. She married one of the other boys, and after decades together, he passed a few years ago. She seems to have disappeared. 

One Sunday, while I was still seeing this girl, we hopped in the car, drove an hour or two with her mom, and drove through the gates of a big property with lots of red brick houses, a vivid memory. Soon we were sitting and talking with her dad. Until then, I had no idea he was in a rehab facility. It was my first realization that alcoholism existed and that it could tear families apart. But weeks later, he returned home, and things felt back to normal.

Other Passions

Not only was I in love with his daughter (at least I thought I was), I had fallen in love with radio. I had managed to get a Saturday and Sunday radio show on a local college station, and so anything to do with radio was cool to me. Knowing that, her dad found and restored an old radio as a gift to me. That led me to a lifetime of collecting antique radios — a passion I lost a decade ago, selling most of them off, but keeping a few favorites. That one I’ll never sell.

Looking back on my passions, my interests, and even my love interests, some stuck, while others lasted only a little while. Some I loved so passionately, I made deep commitments, but others were shed after a season.

Few Things Stick

In almost every case, I had told myself that this interest, this passion, would never die, but only a few things have stuck throughout my life. It’s why, when I’m coaching my son about his passion for a girl who does not seem to share his feelings, I can lend the perspective that she probably won’t be the only one. But to him, as it did with me, it seems like the end of the world.

Love Lost, Again

I can remember sitting on the edge of my bed, sobbing, with my grandmother comforting me over the loss of another girl who was, at the time, my great love (there were many, till I found my true great love). It was the end of the world, I could not go on without her. But I healed, and when she came back to me many years later in hopes of getting together again, I had moved on. She popped in to explore getting back together several times over the years, perhaps realizing that she did feel the same for me as I had for her. Even toward the end of her life, she approached me again, but I was in a better place.

Floating in the Clouds

In the moment, we lose perspective, we are smitten with passion, we are addicted to the dopamine rush — there is no better feeling than floating on the cloud of new love. Practicality rarely enters the room when new love is present. But eventually it rears its ugly head, at which time we realize it’s either time to go, or time to stay. And if we’re really lucky, we realize that there is more to life than fresh and new, and it’s replaced by stable and secure, with the realization that the depth of love isn’t fireworks, but a small burning candle that never goes out, even when the trials of life and child-rearing take their toll. There are times when the wind is blowing and the flame flickers, and there are moments when it briefly seems to die but soon reignites itself. True love is an eternal flame. I’m lucky to have found that.

Fields of Flowers

Springtime, like fresh love, brings new hope. Soon, here in Texas, fields will be covered with bluebonnets as far as the eye can see, followed by fields of orange flowers called Indian paintbrush, followed by the LYFs (little yellow flowers). 

And spring will come to you soon. After the harshness of winter, spring renews our spirit. Life isn’t all springtime; we have to endure all the seasons, including the autumn, when the leaves of love and passion fall, and the winter, when everything freezes. But when facing those moments, there is hope knowing that spring and summer are around the corner, even though sometimes it seems the winter moments in life will never end. They always do. 

Eric Rhoads

PS: Lately I’ve been doing a lot of playing. Last week I tried my first portraits in watercolor. Though not terribly successful, I learned a lot and became inspired to master the medium more (using much of what I learned at Watercolor Live). This week, I bought about 50 pounds of Monster Clay and I’ve been doing my first full-size bust of a head, just to see if I can do it. I’m having a lot of fun trying things I’ve not done before, and it’s making me more excited about everything else. I encourage you to play, to get outside your comfort zone, try something new, get out of your routines.

This week, starting Wednesday the 9th with Beginner/Refresher Day, is my virtual conference called PleinAir Live. If you don’t know the term, plein air is a French term that has come to mean outdoor painting. This virtual conference is all about landscape painting (studio and outdoors), and it features 30 of the best landscape painters alive, including people teaching from other countries. We will have a massive audience, a chance to learn for three days, March 10-12 (four days if you do the Beginner/Refresher day on the 9th, which you can sign up for without the rest of the event). And there are replays you can watch if you can’t make the dates or if you want to rewatch. This might just be the thing you need to pull you out of your comfort zone.

Also going on at Streamline this week…

Plein Air Salon Entry Deadline

$30,000 Art Competition/Deadline: March 31, 2022

Annual Winners Will Be Announced Live at PACE on May 17 in Santa Fe, NM.

Enter this monthly online competition to win cash prizes and recognition. Monthly category winners will be entered into the Annual Competition where the Grand Prize is $15,000 cash and the cover of PleinAir Magazine. Enter one of our 18 categories in plein air and in studio painting.

Learn more. Share

3rd Annual Plein Air Live Virtual Conference

Virtual Event: March 9-12, 2022

Beginners Day: March 9

March 6 is the last day to save up to $300 on a ticket

Replays available if you can’t make the date.

PleinAir magazine presents Plein Air Live, a 4-day online training event featuring 30 of the world’s top landscape and plein air artists doing demonstrations and presentations. Join thousands of artists from around the world to take your work to the next level and learn about the plein air lifestyle and how to become a part of it.

Learn more.

Goosebumps rise on my cold arms, though I’m covered with a cozy green flannel shirt, a sweater, and a blanket draped over my shoulders. The sky is dingy gray, one giant cloud with a slight hint of blue popping out in the distance, providing hope that maybe spring is making its way to us. Sleet drizzles from the sky, building up icy patches on the dry brown winter grass that crunch under my feet as I make my way out to my studio across the yard. Upon arrival my hot cup of coffee is barely warm, but the cranked-up heat inside is welcoming.

Sadly, there are people in this world who are not having a cozy morning. This week I communicated with Vera Kavera, who is a pastel artist living in Ukraine. I had reached out to see if she was OK, and though she was, she was clearly frightened. She told me the first morning she awoke to the sounds of bombs.

No human, no child, none of us should ever have to experience that kind of fright.

As you know, I avoid political topics because everyone has an opinion. But today, I can’t write this little note without acknowledging what is on all of our minds.

Also this past week, I reached out to my dear friend artist Nicholai Dubovik, simply saying that I know there is a possibility our two countries could be in conflict, and if communication is cut off, I wanted them to know they are loved. He replied that he too loved us.

War is always awful, even though it may be justified by some, but it takes on a new face when you have friends whose lives are being impacted. I know a few other artists in Ukraine, and my heart breaks for them.

The feeling of helplessness overcomes me. I asked Vera how I could help, because I was lost, and she simply asked that we keep her in our prayers. One of my employees suggested that maybe we should suggest people buy her video, because she will be needing more money. But I felt that would appear opportunistic. But if that works for you, I’m sure she would love your support.

Throughout history, small voices, individual voices, have had a big impact, either because they are the relentless squeaky wheel, or because they organize and gather others for protests or to contact their representatives. I can’t tell you what to do. You have to follow your heart.

When I learned about prayer, I was told to use names, and to be specific about the outcome you are asking for. I try not to look at God as Santa Claus or a “genie in a bottle” for my own gain.

But I do call on God when I have needs for others, or for myself.

Years ago, my accountant called me and said, “Eric, we cannot meet payroll next week. I’ve called everyone who owes us money, and no one is sending anything this week.” So I asked the exact amount, and I got on my knees in my office and I asked God to provide that exact amount. The following day Marty called from one of the big networks and asked if he could prepay next year’s advertising so he could get it on the books for the current year. I told him yes, and when the check arrived, it was the EXACT amount, to the penny. That convinced me of the power of prayer and being specific.

I’m praying for my friends over there, and I’m praying for a swift end to this insanity. You may not believe what I believe, so I don’t want to try to force that on you. But if you would, consider closing your eyes and asking your God to intercede and end this.

Eric Rhoads

Bam, Slam, Crash!

Startled out of a cozy dream, I jump out of bed and quickly look out the window to see a plastic patio chair flying across the backyard like a reckless pilot in an air show, banging into the gnarly twisted oaks, bouncing off the rocks, and bumping across the weeds until it gets stuck at the back fence.

The old screen door is slamming repeatedly as the wind moves it. The trees are rattling and swaying fiercely. You can hear the wind howl like a coyote. Perhaps spring really does roar in like a lion.

The Four Seasons

There is something profound about the seasons and their relationship to life. Spring is new beginnings and birth, summer is life, fall is old age, and winter is the freeze, the end. As I think about spring, I cannot stop thinking about new beginnings, about the excitement of seeing what blooms in life and in business. The seeds get planted at the start of the year, when we set goals and resolutions and the flowers will pop up soon.

I love everything about new beginnings. I love change, even though it’s our nature to resist it. I love to break what’s not broken, to disrupt what needs disrupting.

Making Change

My wife, Laurie, loves to move furniture around, change out rugs, and disrupt our house. I’m always resistant at first, because I’m comfortable, settled, cozy. Yet, the change is always better; it makes me appreciate our home in fresh ways. It’s healthy to have our lives disrupted, even when it’s unpleasant at first.

But it’s hard to be disruptive, because, as my friend Roy Williams says, “It’s hard to read the label when you’re inside the bottle.” Some of us would rather just stay cozy.

Think about disruptions that have occurred in your life that you resisted or did not embrace, but that ended up making your life better. Disruptions are like spring flowers.

“If you had told me I’d…”

Fill in the blank. I hear it all the time.

We eventually embrace what we initially resist. We adapt. And usually, we see improvement in our lives.

But disruption in life, and businesses, rarely comes from ourselves. Our friend Dawn walked into our house last Sunday after church and pointed out a decorating idea we had not thought of. And it was better. But we could not see it because we look at the house every day.

Too Close to See It

Kodak held the patents on the digital camera. They invented it, but the executives of the company resisted it because it was not about film, which was the business they thought they were in.

A friend who was head of digital for the Washington Post claims he told executives that their Internet content would become more popular than their printed newspaper, but they did not believe him. So he was instructed not to publish stories on the Internet until the paper had been out for 24 hours.

Break It

The way to disrupt is to look at the way things are done, find what you hate about it, figure out how to break it, and figure out what would make it better. People on the inside can rarely see what they should be doing, how they should be changing. Instead, people from the outside can disrupt because they see what can be better. Elon Musk, a co-founder of Paypal, looked at rockets and made them better, looked at cars and made them better. Jeff Bezos looked at books, and distribution, and made all of our lives better.

Why does this matter?

Disruption makes things and people better.

My grandfather had a business selling meat slicers, scales, and meat cases. Supermarkets disrupted him, put packaged meat out, and his business died. He could not see it because he was on the inside.

My goal, as a business owner, is to try to break it at every possible opportunity. It’s not easy, because I cannot see what I need. That’s also true in life. I need others to help me see how my life could be better. We all do.

By making a point to seek feedback, even things we don’t want to hear, we get better. We grow. We change, and we make ourselves or our businesses better. And we need to continually do this to ourselves even though we resist.

Are you set in your ways?
Do you need to be disrupted?

Are you stuck and don’t know it?

Do you have someone who can help you disrupt?

If you want to get disrupted, listen to your kids. They are willing to point out how we need to change, and I’ve found that they are right more often than not.

We’ve all had terrible things happen to us, disasters, deaths, and other unpleasant things, and we come out on the other side different in some ways. I did not like when my dad died, but I grew up in new ways because of it (which he had told me happened to him when my grandfather died).

Embrace disruption. Embrace change. Seek others who can help you disrupt. Life will be more interesting and invigorating.

After all, comfort is nice, but being stuck isn’t.

Eric Rhoads

PS: If you hang with me this year, you’ll see some very interesting disruptions. I can’t tell you more.

One disruption we were forced into because of COVID was launching virtual conferences to replace our in-person events that were canceled. We learned that thousands of people who could not attend in person love the three-day conferences online. And we are continuing them beyond quarantines because people are getting value. Our next one is PleinAir Live, which is March 9-12. Join us by visiting pleinairlive.com. Disrupt yourself by learning to paint.

Here are some things going on at my company, Streamline Publishing, Inc.

—–

PleinAir Salon Entry Deadline

$30,000 Art Competition/Deadline: February 28, 2022

Enter this monthly online competition to win cash prizes and recognition. Monthly category winners will be entered into the annual competition, where the Grand Prize is $15,000 cash and the cover of PleinAir Magazine.

Enter one of our 18 categories in plein air and studio painting.

Learn more. 

3rd Annual PleinAir Live Virtual Conference

Virtual Event: March 9-12, 2022

Beginner’s Day: March 9

March 6 is the last day to save up to $300 on a ticket.

Replays available if you can’t make the date.

PleinAir Magazine presents PleinAir Live, a 4-day online training event featuring 30 of the world’s top landscape and plein air artists doing demonstrations and presentations. Join thousands of artists from around the world to take your work to the next level and learn about the plein air lifestyle and how to become a part of it.

Learn more. 

9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo

In-Person Event: May 16-20

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Basics Course: May 16

Kevin Macpherson Pre-Convention Workshop: May 16-17

Main Event: 17-20

March 17 is the last day to save $400 on a ticket. 

Plein Air Magazine presents the 9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo, a gathering of plein air artists and over 60 top instructors teaching on multiple stages in multiple mediums. Daily painting at a group in iconic locations. Giant Expo Hall of plein air-specific art materials. Art Marketing Boot Camp. Attendance limited.

Learn more. 

11th Annual Publisher’s Invitational Paint Out in the Adirondacks

Artist Retreat: June 11-18, 2022

Location: Paul Smith’s College Near Saranac Lake, NY

Join Eric Rhoads, publisher of Inside Art, PleinAir, and more, for a one-week artist retreat, painting in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Paint with the group or alone, all meals and lodging provided. Meet new friends, paint multiple pieces daily. All meals together, plus group events, cocktail parties, singing and music, portrait painting, and more. A great way to get better fast or to learn the ropes of plein air painting. This is not a workshop or training event.

Learn more.

7th Annual Fall Color Week

Artist Retreat: October 6-13, 2022

Location: Acadia National Park, Maine

Join Eric Rhoads, publisher of Inside Art, PleinAir, and more, for a one-week artist retreat, painting in the beautiful fall color during peak color week at Acadia National Park in Maine. Paint with the group or alone, all meals and lodging provided. Meet new friends, paint multiple pieces daily. All meals together, plus group events, cocktail parties, lobster dinner, singing and music, portrait painting, and more. A great way to get better fast or to learn the ropes of plein air painting. This is not a workshop or training event.

Learn More.

Paint Russia

Painting Trip and Tour: September 15-29, 2022

Location: Russia

A rare opportunity to paint in the cities and countryside of Russia, along with sightseeing, museum visits (including a private entry into the Hermitage Museum), art studio visits, visits to the two great art academies, and painting with Russian masters. The trip starts in St. Petersburg, then to the small villages inland, then to Moscow, and ends with the village and exact paint spots painted by the great Russian masters like Repin, Serov, Levitan, and others. Hosted by Eric Rhoads. Limited to 50 people. Join the waiting list. This is a one-time trip; it will not be repeated.

Learn More.

The Time Is Now for Legacy

Warmth is the first thing I feel as I step out to the long covered back deck of this Texas ranch house. Sun is blasting my eyes, throwing hot orange against the tree trunks, and the tall blades of grass are casting long shadows. But it won’t last long and will be gone before I finish.

It’s been a while since I’ve come to you with something fresh and new. Thanks to my team for setting up the repeats to fill in during a brief illness. Happily, I’m 150% back, filled with energy, and my brain is on fire with all the things I want to do in ’22.

Two Weeks Straight

I often suggest two-week vacations to my team members. Some like to do that, others like to take a week at a time. In my own case, it takes me a week to relax, and then that second week is to play while relaxed. The same thing happens if you’re stuck in bed. You lose the stress and see your mind open up.

Ali, my very overqualified assistant, will tell you the conversation after every time I take some time off.

“I’m going to make some changes. I need more time to think, more time to work on ideas, and less time ‘doing things.’”

She agrees, and then two weeks later, I’m back in my 150mph routine and nothing has changed.

But this time will be different, I tell myself. This time I’m going to make changes.

But will I?

There is nothing like a relaxed brain, the removal of stress, along with a prepared mind. I know what I need to change, but will I? A betting bookie would lay odds that I continue to repeat my normal behavior and change does not occur. And then, the next vacation or break, I’ll say the same things, have good intentions, but then go back to the grindstone.

What about you?

When you get the cobwebs out, where do you want to be, and what are you going to do about it?

In my case there is usually a bag of good excuses to help me rationalize my addiction to work. Things like, “I know I need some help, but can I really afford it?” Or, “I don’t have time to train someone to take up some of my responsibilities.”  Or, “No one can do it like I can.”

Of course, the contents of that bag are complete BS.

If you or I want to make change, only you or I can do it. We cannot rely on outside sources, we cannot rely on circumstances, and we have to stop making excuses.

Making a New Plan

Knowing this, I made a plan while I was resting. In fact, with ample time to think, I went into detail, including a plan to not allow myself to fall back into the same old habits. And one day of my illness, I got out of bed, went to the couch, and, with scratchy throat, made a phone call to explore bringing someone on board to take over some of the things I want to remove from my massive list of responsibilities. This fall, I also was able to hire someone else to do the same for different responsibilities, and it’s made a huge difference. And I’ve discovered that not only am I not needed, others can do it better.

Taking a Risk

Now I have to admit, there were decades when I could not afford to hire anyone to help me. But my discovery is that if I don’t take some risk and get some help, it stunts my growth, slows my success, and exacerbates my problems. As a result, I’ll not have to wear my cape with the red “S” anymore. After decades of being Superman, it’s time for others to fight my battles.

So what will I do with all this extra time? After all, I’m not interested in or ready for retirement and boredom.

Legacy Projects

A friend who did this, a very famous and important artist, said, “I’m going to spend the next couple of decades on legacy projects.” He used that opportunity to write books that needed to be written, take care of projects that would make things easier for his family once he was gone, and do things that make even more of a difference.

What’s Next

I’m not going anywhere. I intend to keep doing my daily livestreams and my podcasts, hosting my virtual conferences like next month’s PleinAir Live, teaching marketing on stage at the Plein Air Convention, and hosting painting events like Fall Color Week and the Publisher’s Invitational in the Adirondacks. But it’s time to work on the legacy projects … the books I need to write, the exhibitions I need to mount, the courses I need to record, the museums I want to create, and a few dozen other very worthy projects. But I’m hopeful I can step off the high-speed merry-go-round of minutiae and focus on what also needs to be done.

It’s not about my legacy. It’s about the legacy of making the world a much better place, making the art world better.

Our Last Breath

The reality is that you and I never stop till our lungs exhale their final breath. Our brains work, our bodies work, and we still have interests and important things that need to be done. Some tell themselves they are out of time or energy, while others allow the passion for their projects to drive them to completion.

Which are you?

Andrew Carnegie said he spent the first half of his life amassing wealth and planned to use the second half to give it away. It’s my hope that my second act will be about giving back. Making sure that projects the world needs to be done, get done.What about you?

Most of us have lost some important people in our lives in the past couple of years. Some related to the pandemic, others not. Just this week I lost a 45-year-old second cousin who has spent his life building his career to provide for his family. But what about the legacy projects?

Count on Nothing

Recently I told my lawyer that I wanted to get my planning done now, not wait for another 30 years like others I know who feel fairly secure that they’ll be around. But we can’t count on anything, which is why we all should consider building legacy into our daily lives, not waiting till we’re gray. Happily I’ve done a fair amount, but looking back, I could have done more. It did not all have to be about career-building.

Find the time. Identify your special gifts, and seek ways to leave something special behind, the legacy or gift you can leave the world. Do not delay. Find a way, find the time. You’ll never regret it.

Eric Rhoads

PS: A year or two ago I set a goal to teach a million people to paint. I’m guessing I’m not there yet, but I do know we’ve been exposed to hundreds of thousands who are learning because of the efforts we’ve taken. That makes me happy. That’s legacy work, because it changes lives and breathes confidence into people who never before could paint. But I need to reach more people, train more people, and open their eyes to what they don’t believe is possible. You can help by spreading the word.

For the last two years I had to cancel the Plein Air Convention, which prompted us to invent PleinAir Live, an online training conference that takes place over 4 days. We’ve run it twice, and have reached thousands. It’s coming up again in March and has proven to be the answer for hundreds and hundreds who cannot escape to attend our live events. We’ve had people in 50+ countries attend these events. We’ve taught thousands to paint. And we have the world’s finest as our instructors. If you’re tired of golf, or looking for something fun and different in your life, take a risk (it’s 100% money back guaranteed). You’ll never regret it.

Oh, and by the way, the Plein Air Convention & Expo will take place in Santa Fe this May. So you can come and learn in person, though attendance will be limited.

When I started our art instruction video business, Streamline Art Video, a decade ago or more, we did things differently and used Hollywood-level production to give a better experience. When the pioneer in that business died, we were asked to carry on the Johnnie Liliedahl legacy. Then, when the founder of Creative Catalyst passed, we were asked to carry that legacy on as well. We’ve kept all three brands around for years, but we discovered it was getting confusing, so right before Christmas, everything became one brand… PaintTube.TV, which has hundreds of art instruction videos in one place. And will soon be on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon, and others. Oh, and by the way, at the convention in May, we’re presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to co-founder Ralph Liliedahl. It will be a proud moment.

There is always a lot going on … so I thought I would post a calendar of all the things in the plan (so far) for the year.Important Dates

Plein Air Salon Entry Deadline

$30,000 Art Competition/Deadline: March 31, 2022

Annual Winners Will Be Announced Live at PACE on May 17 in Santa Fe, NM.

Enter this monthly online competition to win cash prizes and recognition. Monthly category winners will be entered into the Annual Competition where the Grand Prize is $15,000 cash and the cover of PleinAir Magazine. Enter one of our 18 categories in plein air and in studio painting.

Learn more. Share

3rd Annual Plein Air Live Virtual Conference

Virtual Event: March 9-12, 2022

Beginners Day: March 9

March 6 is the last day to save up to $300 on a ticket

Replays available if you can’t make the date.

PleinAir magazine presents Plein Air Live, a 4-day online training event featuring 30 of the world’s top landscape and plein air artists doing demonstrations and presentations. Join thousands of artists from around the world to take your work to the next level and learn about the plein air lifestyle and how to become a part of it.

Learn more. Share

9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo

In-Person Event: May 16-20

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Basic Course: May 16

Kevin McPherson Pre-Convention Workshop: May 16-17

Main Event: 17-20

Last Day to save $500 is February 14th

Plein Air Magazine presents the 9th Annual Plein Air Convention, a gathering of plein air artists, over 60 top instructors teaching on multiple stages in multiple mediums. Daily painting at a group in iconic locations. Giant expo hall of plein air specific art materials. Art marketing Boot Camp. Attendance limited.

Learn More.    Share

11th Annual Publisher’s Invitational Paint Out in the Adirondacks

Artist Retreat: June 11-18, 2022

Location: Paul Smith’s College Near Saranac Lake, NY

Join Eric Rhoads, Publisher of Inside Art, PleinAir, and others, for a one week artist retreat, painting in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of Upstate, NY. Paint with the group or alone, all meals and lodging provided. Meet new friends, paint multiple pieces daily. All meals together, plus group events, cocktail parties, singing and music, portrait painting and more. A great way to get better fast or to learn the ropes of plein air painting. This is not a workshop or training event.

Learn More.

7th Annual Fall Color Week

Artist Retreat: October 6-13, 2022

Location: Acadia National Park, Maine

Join Eric Rhoads, Publisher of Inside Art, PleinAir, and others, for a one week artist retreat, painting in the beautiful fall color during peak color week at Acadia National Park in Maine. Paint with the group or alone, all meals and lodging provided. Meet new friends, paint multiple pieces daily. All meals together, plus group events, cocktail parties, lobster dinner, singing and music, portrait painting and more. A great way to get better fast or to learn the ropes of plein air painting. This is not a workshop or training event.

Learn More.

Paint Russia

Painting Trip and Tour: September 15-29, 2022

Location: Russia

A rare opportunity to paint in the cities and countryside of Russia, along with sightseeing, museum visits (including a private entry into the Hermitage Museum), art studio visits, visits to the two great art academies, and painting with Russian Masters. The trip starts in St. Petersburg, then to the small villages inland, then to Moscow, and ending with the village and exact paint spots painted by the great Russian masters like Repin, Serov, Levitan and others. Hosted by Eric Rhoads. Limited to 50 people. Join the waiting list. This is a one time trip, which will not be repeated.

Learn More.

My feet are crunching across the floor, covered with crinkled wrapping paper and bows. Pine needles not only scent the air, but the now-dry tree is shedding them where I step, en route to the smell of a fresh pot of coffee.

Yesterday, I barely left my spot on the modern blue couch in our living room. I pick that spot because I can see everyone as they open their gifts and can get a good angle for photographs. I always take more pictures than I need, because I love remembering Christmases past, and this too will become a memory.

Christmas Eve

As a child, visiting my grandparents for Christmas Eve, I’d stand on the stairs in the small living room and read the story of Christmas from the Bible. We carry that tradition forward, always remembering the reason we’re here before we terrorize the gifts under the tree. And to make it last, we open one at a time, taking turns so we can all pay attention to the person opening. Then we all hang out together all day, eating cookies and snacks, playing with our new gifts, and just enjoying yet another wonderful Christmas.

A Sweet Farewell

Tears welled up in my eyes yesterday, and again today as I remember that this is the first Christmas without my dad, who left us in March. I’m also melancholy about the loss of an aunt, uncle, and cousin this year, plus a few friends. My dad loved Christmas so much that he was the first to get his tree up and would not take it down till February. When the pandemic hit, he decided to leave it up year round since there would be no guests to wonder why it was there. Of course it turned out to be the last year of his life, so he had Christmas all year, which made him happy.

Being Present in the Moment

If there is an upside to these losses, it’s that I’m paying closer attention to those I love, trying not to pretend they will always be here and instead being present, knowing they are a true gift in my life, and knowing at such times that it could be our final Christmas together. I pray not.

Perhaps the loss of loved ones, or the prospect of more losses from the pandemic, is making me softer, more responsive, and more tuned in to connect with the people I love and admire.

This past week, when things were a little slower, I made a point to pick up the phone and chat with people I’ve missed talking to, because I cherish them and don’t want to look back in regret that I did not take the opportunity.

Going Deeper

I’ve asked myself, What would I say if I knew this was the last time I’d speak with them? The result has been some conversations with a deeper connection, more careful listening. Instead of dominating the conversation or trying to make it all about getting in the things that I want to say, I’m simply absorbing, listening to their voice, to their personality, and admiring them for who they are.

Why haven’t I done this all along?

Life is so busy that we tell ourselves we will get around to connecting with people. When they are gone, we regret not doing it.

I’ve noticed that when I’m intentional about absorbing the love of others, I’m more patient, more interested, and just simply basking in the moment, quirks and all.

Though Christmas has now officially passed, the absorption continues. And, hopefully, it will continue forever. If anything good has come out of the past two years, it’s the appreciation of seeing people we could not see, talking with people we cannot visit, and being more deliberate listeners and absorbers.

What if we lived every day with an absorber mentality?

What if we lived as though today was our last?

What if we treated every conversation and encounter as if it was the last time we would see our friends and loved ones?

I tend to be busy and wanting to get on with things, always checking my phone, always wanting to be busy or productive. But deliberate absorption of others is a gift. It’s changing who I am and how I behave.

What about you?Who do you need to absorb?

Eric Rhoads

PS: If I had a magic carpet or a reindeer-driven sleigh, I’d visit you personally today, just to learn more about you, absorb who you are, and to personally thank you for the time and attention you’ve given me. You have given me a gift, knowing that I can reach out most Sunday mornings, share my thoughts, and know that some mornings you’re paying attention, or even sharing them with others. For that, I thank you. Since I don’t have any magical transportation, please know I’m thinking about you today, and I’m grateful.

From time to time I mention my faith or quote a Bible reference. For some that is politically incorrect or offensive, which has resulted in a couple of people refusing to read any more Sunday Coffee. Please know I never want to offend anyone, but It’s just part of who I am. From time to time I’ll even share something I heard at my church that moved me, like this sermon.

Years ago I asked a mentor of mine if business ever gets easier, knowing he had been in business for 60 years. He said it never gets easier, but it always changes. The past two years have been the most challenging and difficult in my career, though there have been many difficult years. But I’m thankful we got through it, though it was not easy because we’re still surviving without in-person events, which is where we make our money. Our virtual events have helped us survive, and I want to thank you for attending. Hopefully they have been good for you too. Our next one, Watercolor Live, is in January, and it would make a great after-the-holidays treat.

Here are some other things going on in the business…

• Last week we released our Kevin Macpherson Magic Grid Landscapes video, which is beyond amazing and has become the biggest seller for 2021. Another top seller is our new Camille Przewodek video on color.
• Last week I mentioned that it’s a good idea to get signed up for the coming Plein Air Convention & Expo, which is planned for May in Santa Fe. We think it will sell out early because we’re all ready for a family reunion. This past week we sold a huge number of seats, and the hotel is telling us we might have to limit the number who can come. If we have to take 200-400 fewer people, you’ll want to register now to make sure you’re able to go. And, to make you more secure, there is a 100% refund in the event we have to cancel or you don’t feel safe. Also, we have a pre-convention workshop with Kevin Macpherson that will sell out even faster.
• My Russia painting and museum trip will happen next September. We just changed the dates slightly; the new dates are now posted on the website. We were sold out and will be again soon.
• Last week I wrote about a man who became an amazing painter just from watching the videos we produced. I met with him this week (he was visiting Austin) and was blown away to hear his story. Zero in-person art instruction other than in childhood. Yet today he is producing incredible artworks (he showed me many). He is living proof that you can learn to paint well from video training. If you want to see our library of artworks, you can see them at PaintTube.TV.
• This week I sent out a note to all of our friends about a big change. Years ago we started Streamline Art Video, and later acquired Liliedahl and Creative Catalyst. This week we announced all three brands will become PaintTube.